Sunday, January 16, 2005

George W. Bush: The Buck Doesn't Stop Here

In what must be the most arrogant statement to come from George W. Bush's lips, Bush tells the Washington Post today (Jan. 16) that he does not have to take responsibility for any mistakes made by his administration, because his re-election proved voters approved of the actions of his administration. "We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections," Bush told the Washington Post. "The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me."

In other words, the people responsible for the bad intelligence on Iraq WMDs, or the failure to plan for an Iraqi insurgency, are off the hook because of Bush's re-election.

What a fucking load of bullshit.

Why does the media let him get away with this? No one holds this man accountable. Conservatives do not hold him accountable. Bush isn't going to hold anyone in his administration accountable.

I'm sure Bush's words will comfort the families who lost loved ones in the hunt for Iraq's WMDs. And his words will be of comfort to the young soldiers at Walter Reed hospital who are adjusting to their post-Iraq WMD hunt lives of being blind, brain damaged, paralyzed, or missing limbs.

Can you imagine if Bill Clinton had said the same thing about himself in his re-election? Suppose the Lewinsky scandal broke out during Clinton's first term, and upon re-election, would you have accepted Clinton stating that what he did with Lewinsky didn't matter because the American people had chosen Clinton over Bob Dole? Would conservatives had accepted that explanation? Of course not.

The fact that Bush was re-elected does not necessarily mean he has broad support for his handling of the war in Iraq. In a Gallup poll released Jan. 12, 50% of respondents said it was a mistake to invade Iraq. 56% said they disapprove of how Bush has handled the situation in Iraq. 59% said they thought things were going badly in Iraq.

Clearly, Bush is out of touch with reality.

Amazingly, in the Washington Post interview, Bush said that "...some of the decisions I've made up to now have affected our standing in parts of the world...there's no question we've got to continue to do a better job of explaining what America is all about."

In a knee to the groin of his conservative base, Bush said he was not going to pursue a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. Take that, conservative Christians. Your man has just stabbed you in the back, while "flip-flopping" on the issue. You know, what he accused John Kerry of doing. For instance, on February 24, 2004, Bush called for the amendment: "On a matter of such importance, the voice of the people must be heard. Activist courts have left the people with one recourse. If we are to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America (italics added). Decisive and democratic action is needed, because attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious consequences throughout the country," Bush said in remarks from the Roosevelt Room.

"For all these reasons, the Defense of Marriage requires a constitutional amendment (italics added). An amendment to the Constitution is never to be undertaken lightly. The amendment process has addressed many serious matters of national concern. And the preservation of marriage rises to this level of national importance. The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honoring -- honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society," Bush added.

There you have it. Imagine that: you're a conservative Christian, and you've heard your man give speeches on how he's going to protect the institution of marriage, only to say after being re-elected (thanks to your vote) that he had changed his mind on pursuing an amendment to protect marriage.

Congratulations, America. You've elected a man who does not have to answer to anyone, a man who can do what he wants, when he wants, at his whim, with no concern for the consequences.

I wonder what else Bush will do with his "political capital"? Who knows, the sky's the limit for this president.

1 Comments:

Hey there, Scott. I just recently stumbled across your blog through either Blog Explosion or Blog Clicker (can't remember which), and just wanted to drop you a line and say that this is a great site! Your writing is impeccable and your opinions and insight are a pleasure to read.

I couldn't agree with you more with this post. The whole concept of a mandate in this election is ridiculous, and the fact that the president seems intent on ignoring the voice of 48-49% of the country (the percentage that are obviously displeased with him) speaks volumes as to his character and intent.

One becomes edgy when thinking of how he plans to spend his "political capital" in the years to come...